Meeting of Minds, Collision of Souls (JT, NDE, Closed)

[Benjiro Hiroto]

As Benjiro made his way to the Squad 10 training grounds once again, he couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement and determination. The training grounds were a vast and open space, with various training equipment scattered throughout, and multiple pits for isolated or paired training, similar to the one he used when he trained with Gestalt. Aside from the pits, there were targets for archery and swordsmanship, weights for strength training, and various obstacles for agility training. The air was filled with the sounds of clashing swords, arrows whistling through the air, and the grunts of exertion from the Shinigami training. It was clear that his fellow Squad 10 squadmates held the same regard for improvement and the iron will that he did. A part of him thought about approaching one of these squadmates to join in on their training, but upon closer examination, he felt that if he joined at this point, he would hinder more than help. No matter though, it was further inspiration for him to improve faster, so that he could actively participate in the training of Squad 10, and count himself as one of the Soul Society's best defenders. 

Instead, Benjiro made his way to a pit in the secluded corner of the training grounds, where he had set up his own personal training area. He had laid out various books and literature that he had borrowed, detailing a variety of Kido incantations, specifically the techniques and instructions on how to learn new and more advanced Bakudo since that was his primary focus, which he intended to practice and master. He had also set up a wooden dummy for sparring, as he knew that the next training session would be intense and rigorous. He stood there, surrounded by the tools of his trade, ready for another day of self-improvement and growth. After all, there was a special guest for today's training, as a continued effort from Squad 4 to better their own combat capability led to yet another officer coming to train with the ranks of the 10th. 

He remembered walking down to the barracks earlier in the day, approaching Nadia to ask for his assigned duty for the day. "Good morning, Miss Nadia. Is there anything for me to do, today?" He asked with a polite nod and a friendly bow, to which Nadia just sighed. "Listen, Benji, you can drop the miss. I'm much younger than you! Ugh, anyways, it seems you have another training session with Squad 4 today. Seems like that Gestalt guy had some good things to say about you." Benjiro beamed with pride. He had thoroughly enjoyed training with Gestalt, but a part of him wondered if the feeling was mutual considering the priest took on the majority of the teaching in their session together. It seemed like his doubt was misplaced after all. "That is wonderful to hear, thank you. I'll head over right away." 

Back inside of the pit, Benjiro smiled as he prepared for the beginning of his training. Benjiro began his pre-training rituals with a sense of purpose and focus. He first sat in a meditative position, closing his eyes and taking deep breaths. He recited the mantra "Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō." This served as a reminder to him of the ultimate reality and the path to enlightenment, something he strived to achieve in all aspects of his life, including his training as a Shinigami. As he recited the mantra, he focused his mind and asked the Buddha to guide him on his journey to self-improvement. He repeated this mantra silently to himself, focusing on the meaning behind the words and asking for guidance from the Buddha to help him learn and retain as much as he could. He meditated for a few minutes, letting the tranquility wash over him and clear his mind of any distractions.

After meditation, he started his physical preparation by doing a series of light stretches to keep his body limber and ready for the rigors of training. He stretched his arms, legs and back, focusing on each muscle group and making sure to do it in a slow and controlled manner. He then cracked his neck, relieving the tension held within his neck and allowing his body to fully relax. Once that was done, he reached to his hip and unsheathed his new blade, wrapping the prayer beads around his wrist. This was the final part of his ritual, holding on to his newly imprinted Zanpakuto, hoping to hear its voice calling to him. He had already heard it speak to him a few times before, but he could never make out the words. Still, he was making progress, and that was what mattered most. He felt the power of his Zanpakuto, the manifestation of his soul, and he knew that he was getting closer to learning its true name. He took a deep breath, and with a sense of readiness, he stood up and awaited his training partner. 

[Rakuo Hirano]

Rakuo awoke with a sombre expression, that empty feeling in his gut always continued to grow in the mornings, when he looked around to an empty room a dirty floor and disturbing amount of novelty glasses he almost had to be ashamed, but with restless nights came tired mornings, that was life at this point, it was a constantly rolling stone and if you even dared to slow down well you'd be crushed. But that was no excuse to not work, placing his normal spectacles onto his face and pressing fingers into his cheekbones to loosen them up, that same fake smile as always perfectly practiced to keep him looking normal. Getting up from the half covered floor and moving his blanket to the cupboard, stretching just enough that he wouldn't feel his bones creak and getting dressed in his new uniform, one that was really not too different from the old one, he would take a look at his schedule for the day. "Joint Training... I see, hopefully im not stuck with a giant, someone nice would be best", Ah fighting, the lifeblood of so many in this organisation and thus something everyone had to train for even if all you wanted to do was save lives instead of taking them, of course that didn't mean that Rakuo was going to refuse to pick up his blade, just that he saw it as a means to an end.

Squad 10 was a place he had not seen yet, he had explored the majority of the grounds but coming into an individual squads grounds made him somewhat uncomfortable, he was not the sort of doctor to do home visits afterall, but if that's where he was assigned, that would be where he went. He had found a blue uniform and had stuffed cotton inside to cushion it for his body making it almost like a bed robe, but when you were as bad with the cold as Rakuo was you had to make things a little easier on yourself. He made his way through the side entrance as to avoid any extra eyes on himself and came across a fighting pit, there wasn't much one could do to describe it, it was a sandy pit made to clash swords or butt heads, to come to a conclusion when words didnt matter and in this case one would guess it was for praying, buddhist from what he could tell and from someone who understood enough of the meaning behind their words to actually devote themselves to it. Rakuo would spend a few moments simply watching them meditate, wondering what it was like, not to sit there idle hoping that you would transcend the mortal coil but rather what it was like to believe in something, anything even.

Still, one would have to make themselves known if you actually wanted to do your job, and Rakuo knew that work was vital, as the man in the pit stood and began to stretch Rakuo would finally make his way out from the shadows, folding his glasses as he placed them by his feet, looking down to the giant with those eyes that could strike through diamond, reading his body for a moment, his passion, smile and his effort, they had an interesting weapon at their side a blade that was more than the standard Asauchi one was given on your first day, and yet when Rakuo looked at his own all he could see was a boring sheath with a rope stopping it from being opened, he had never heard anything unlike what those around him had said, he heard no guidance, no wisdom. For it to be the embodiment of his soul it made him feel empty inside. And finally as Benjiro stood Rakuo would speak "Yui Butsu Yo Butsu Nai No Ku Jin, I believe atleast, there was a shrine near my home that I found interesting although their words never reached me... I assume you're here for the assignment as well? Or am I making awkward conversation?"

[Benjiro Hiroto]

As the younger man from the 4th division entered the training pit, Benjiro's eyes were immediately drawn to the man's unique dress. The blue robes stood out from the traditional Shihakusho worn by all Shinigami, but Benjiro did not judge. He believed in approaching the world with open arms and a curious mind, and this was no exception. He was taken aback when the young Shinigami greeted him with the mantra of Yui Butsu Yo Butsu Nai No Ku Jin, a recognition of his faith as a Buddhist. Benjiro was taken aback by the young man's sudden acknowledgement of his beliefs. After all, in the Soul Society, it was all too common for souls to forget about their lives in the world of the living. But this Shinigami from the 4th division seemed to have a deeper understanding of his life before and the Afterlife now, similar to how Benjiro was when he had first been guided to the Soul Society.


Because of this, Benjiro felt a deep sense of kinship with him, as if he was one of the few that he could truly relate to in the Soul Society. From his few friends that were Shinigami, only Gestalt knew of his past life. Both Seijuro and Aya had completely forgotten about who they used to be. It made him curious as to who this young man was and what was life like for him, as Gestalt came from a time long before Benjiro was brought in to the World of the Living in the first place. He smiled and nodded in reverence and admiration towards this fellow Shinigami, who not only acknowledged his beliefs, but also greeted him with a Buddhist mantra, a nostalgic feeling that he had forgotten. He bowed deeply, feeling grateful for this understanding and respect.

"Greetings, fellow Shinigami, and yes, I was assigned to train with you today," he said, with a gentle smile on his face. "It is truly an honor to meet someone who is aware of my faith, enough to remember one of our teachings. In return, I offer you, Sho Bu' Chi E Jin Jin Mu Ryo. The wisdom of the Buddhas is profound and cannot be measured. Perhaps that lack of understanding led to their words falling on deaf ears, as it does with most. The secret is not searching for the meaning behind their wisdom, but to give yourself the goal of attaining that immeasurable wisdom for yourself, thus dedicating yourself to the path to Nirvana." He explained, delighted to engage in Buddhist philosophical discussion once more.

The gentle giant took a seat next to his various scrolls filled with Bakudo techniques, borrowed from the 10th's Archives. He gently patted the sand, gesturing for the young Shinigami to sit next to him. "My master in my previous life had told me that enlightenment was nothing more than achieving the pinnacle of what one was capable of, so there was no singular true wisdom. In the lifetimes I have lived, both as a monk and a Shinigami, I must confess that I have yet to achieve Nirvana, though I know that I will achieve it one day, be it in this life or the next." Benjiro spoke with a wisdom of a man well beyond his years, at least physically. 

"My apologies, my name is Hiroto (last name) Benjiro (first name), Unseated Officer of the 10th Squad. I have met with another member of your squad not too long ago, Father Gestalt, if you know him. He taught me a variety of skills with Zanjutsu, if you want to practice that." He glanced towards his own Zanpakuto before looking over to the side of the pit, where racks of all kinds of training weapons could be found. "I barely know my way around this sword, let alone any other weapon, so I apologize if I am a little lacking in the arts of combat. However, if you are more privy to the mystical arts, we could tackle these instead." He spoke, undoing the bindings around the scroll of Bakudo number 8, Seki.   

[holika]

13 Paragraphs, so it only counts for 12.

60 TP for both participants.